By Andy Walter

CAMDEN — State tournaments have always offered a chance at redemption.

Whatever a team didn’t accomplish during the regular season, they get a second chance at in the tourney.

There is definitely that feeling in this week’s DIAA Division I dual-meet wrestling state tournament.

While top-seeded Caravel is the heavy favorite in Division II, the bracket looks wide open in Division I, where every team has at least two losses.

Both state tournaments start on Wednesday at 7 p.m. with the top eight seeds hosting the bottom eight in the quarterfinals. Nine Henlopen Conference squads are in the 16-team field.

Third-seeded Caesar Rodney (7-5), which hosts Henlopen North rival and sixth-seeded Sussex Central (9-7), knows the Golden Knights would love to avenge their 35-34 loss to the Riders on Dec. 8.

After last year’s dual-meet tourney was canceled by the COVID pandemic, CR coach Dan Rigby said it’s just great to have it back.

“Dual-meet wrestling and tournament wrestling are two entirely different things,” he said. “Can you get your guys up as a collective unit is the challenge for a coach. It’s definitely exciting.

“I would say losing that last match to Sallies kind of put us in the least favorable position. But we always talk about taking the rough side of the mountain for the better views. We definitely have the rough side of the mountain here. ... We embrace that kind of stuff. We like it. We get excited about it — and I know Central is, too.”

“It’s just the chance to get to wrestle with our team,” said CR senior Marlon Smith. “It’s fun to do that. I think we built a bond together that’s not going to break. We’re a family here. We’re going to go to battle for each other.”

The Riders’ Alexander McEvoy said he definitely missed not having a dual-meet state tournament last season.

CR went 7-2 a year ago and would have been a contender in Division I.

“It was kind of sad because we had a really good team last year,” said McEvoy. “Not to have the tournament kind of stunk. But we have a really good team this year.

“I think, if we show up, we can beat any other team this week.”

Four of the Riders’ matches this winter were decided by four points or less.

They went 3-2 against teams in the Division I state tournament field.

One of their setbacks was a 34-30 loss to Salesianum on Friday in which the Sals scored the match’s final nine points.

The Riders know they haven’t always been at their best this season. CR has been in the Division I finals in two of the last year three seasons that there’s been a dual-meet tourney.

“There’s five or six teams that all think they have a chance to win a state championship,” said Rigby. “I think that’s great for the sport. I think that adds a lot of excitement. I think that’s good for Delaware wrestling.”

“Everybody has a job,” said Smith. “And if they do their job, I think we should be good. ... I’m very excited for this week. I think we have a good shot at doing well.”

Notes

There’s plenty of rematches in Wednesday’s Division I opening round. Top-seeded Cape Henlopen is hosting a No. 8 William Penn squad it just beat, 46-24, on Saturday. Fourth-seeded Smyrna hosts a No. 5 Milford team it rallied to edge, 36-35, on Jan. 14. ... Henlopen Conference teams have won the last 10 Division I dual-meet state crowns. Smyrna has won six of those titles. ... Caravel is looking for its second straight Division II state championship after Milford won the previous six. ... The top two seeds in Division II, Caravel and Delaware Military, went a combined 8-1 against teams in the Division I tourney field.

Follow Andy Walter on Twitter at @DSNSports.